Government to pass urgent quake legislation

The government's planning to pass urgent legislation this week to fast track crucial work in Kaikoura, Prime Minister John Key announced on Monday.

Passing the urgent legislation will "give the government the authority to do the things you'd expect us to be able to do relatively quickly", Mr Key says.

That would include dredging in the harbour at Kaikōura and the potential to "move the rocks and things into the ocean space so that it doesn't have to be taken away", in order to clear slips in the region.

The dredging process is expected to begin as soon as December, Mr Key announced in his post-Cabinet news conference on Monday afternoon.